


A Stranger Came to Town

by anarchycox



Series: Missing: Four Demons (If Found Return to Hell) [23]
Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Confusion, Conversations, Feelings, Meeting Someone New, Relationship fights, sorting out your emotions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-23 02:55:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23004613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anarchycox/pseuds/anarchycox
Summary: Eggsy and Merlin have had a rather horrible fight and Eggsy is walking off his anger and confusion. He really doesn't want to deal with a demon right now, thank you very much.But he has to say that Sean, is really different from all the other demons he's met as of yet.
Relationships: Merlin/Gary "Eggsy" Unwin
Series: Missing: Four Demons (If Found Return to Hell) [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1335727
Comments: 48
Kudos: 191





	A Stranger Came to Town

Eggsy sat on the park bench. He wasn’t staring at anything in particular, just sitting. Besides it was very late, or very early depending how you viewed time, and a couple of the lights were out. Made it dark enough to stare into the void. If the void was trees. He knew he was crying, because he was watching the water drip onto the ground from where he was bent forward. A few drops fell on his shoes. Which were Merlin’s shoes.

Why was it that when he ran out of a house, was never his shoes he grabbed?

Weird that.

He didn’t hear any footsteps but knew someone was next to him. Merlin couldn’t teleport, neither could Harry, human forms didn’t do that. And sure they sometimes shed them to fly, but after their fight, last thing Merlin would do would be to go full demon.

Really meant it could only be one person.

“Not now, Nick.” Eggsy pressed his hands to his eyes, the pressure hurting the headache that was forming, but he wanted the pain. Couldn’t say he liked it, but he wanted some external hurt to go with the internal hurt.

It also stopped the tears. But when he pulled his hands away a couple more fell.

“Please?” Eggsy begged. “I am sure you have something clever to say, something that is the truth but also not, or is a lie that is the truth, or just some more of your complete and utter bullshit, and I am telling you, I just cannot cope with it at this moment.” He looked over and frowned. “Oh shit.”

“Nick, sorry?”

“No, right, yeah. Guh, tonight is just a fucking night.”

“I hear that,” the man said. Older than Eggsy. Looked to maybe be of an age with Harry and Merlin. Not an old face, but pure silver hair. Attractive as fuck, if Eggsy was honest with himself. “Did you know human forms feel hunger? Like not as acutely as humans do, but I am entirely aware that I am going to need food at some point. Actual solid substances. Not just feed off the ideas of men. Weird.”

“Fucking hell,” Eggsy groaned. “Who are you then?”

“Omael,” he said and bowed. “Wait, no bugger, human skin means human name. I went with Sean. McKnight because you do double names. How does it sound?”

“Solid, forgettable which is not a bad thing for a demon. And right, I am so sick of demons right now, so toddle along.” Eggsy gave a little wave and the guy didn’t move. “Go on then.”

“I don’t know what speed a toddle is. I don’t know what speed humans can actually go?” He bent his knees, and sort of jogged in place. “Huh, knees are damn weird.”

“You don’t have knees?”

“I suppose I do, but my legs just function differently at home.” 

Eggsy watched him. “How much of a baby are you?” He couldn’t help but ask.

“Oh, no. I remember Kushiel and Miniel as they were before,” Sean said. “Can I sit?”

He really didn’t want to deal with demons but on the other hand, to meet someone who has known them that long. Fuck. “Yeah, okay. Have a sit. Nick sent you huh?”

“He did. My test run. First time above, was always happy in my department, never really saw a reason to poke about.” He sat. “Sitting is good.”

“Merlin always says sitting with wings is more complex than you expect.”

“I traded mine in, when I resigned from heaven.”

“You fell too?” Eggsy had gleaned enough that Harry, Merlin, and Nick were the only ones who ever called it a jump.

“No, skipped the war, was busy in my shop. When I emerged all excited because unicorns. I had made narwhals, and then was like oooh unicorns. God said no though, that was just not feasible, and besides creatures were mostly set in place. Didn’t need me inventing anymore. Humans with a nudge or two would do all the inventing.”

“Wait…are you responsible for fucking Hasbro?”

Sean laughed. “Yeah, the ouija board was a fun one.” He was looking around. “Trees not as nice as some humans suggest.”

“They are nice.”

“Few poets I’ve talked to suggested they are great. Mostly they what just stand there?”

“Yeah?” Eggsy hadn’t really thought about it. “I mean they give us oxygen, that is pretty solid.”

“See your lungs. I got left in charge of that build they’d work so much better, but no let evolution guide them from here on out Omael, your prototypes will get there, blah blah blah. Stifled innovation, God did. Why I quit.”

“But you weren’t in the big battle.”

“Nope,” Sean said. He smiled, and damn the bloke was handsome as hell. “When I realized I was going to have to join the choir or guardians or rubbish like that, invented “you can’t fire me I quit”. Proper paperwork too.”

Eggsy was so mad and so hurt, but that, that was too much and he started to giggle. “You didn’t wage war with God, you just went up to God with a letter of resignation and said bye?”

“Near enough. Fine tuned it later with the option of two weeks notice, but gave notice and just walked out. Halo and wings just sort of faded away? As I wound my way more towards the Boss, grew more demon like I guess, wings stayed gone though.”

“Was Nick happy to see you, were they?”

“They were, was a right nice welcome. Bit of a bummer when he said he couldn’t make unicorns really really happen.”

“Sort of did though, we dream of them. Sister loves My Little Pony.”

“That makes me happy,” Sean said. “Like when my inventions are appreciated.”

“Wait,” Eggsy thought back. “Merlin said angels and whatnot invented nightmares, but that would have been after your time?”

“Turns out, humans need more nudges than anticipated. Bet it takes a dozen to do what I did.” Sean kept looking around. “So breathing, really have to do it as much as the body seems to?”

“Yup.”

“Weird, that will take some getting used to.” 

“Why are you here, Sean?”

“Oh, right, yeah. Test run of human form. Boss wants me to do a proper assessment. Humans are moving so fast these days, he thinks that I should finally take a trip above, see what you lot crave, what can pull you in. Plus, he wanted me to invent a fix for you and Merlin. You gave him a headache.”

“I gave him a headache?” Eggsy blinked. “That might be the most insane thing I have ever heard. Me and Merlin having a fight, gave the fucking devil, the light bearer, a goddamn headache? How does he think I’m fucking feeling?”

“Not a clue, but Merlin is hurting, and that is hurting him. It was like when Harry was gone. It hurt him.”

“It did? How? He’s the devil, he doesn’t feel.” Eggsy frowned at him. “Also, feels like you are deliberately distracting me.” And it was working he wasn’t crying anymore. He had no clue how he felt, just that the tears stopped.

“He doesn’t feel like you do, because he is from before time, beyond your comprehension. When Miniel and Kushiel wear their human form, just long enough they can feel pretty close to human.”

“Cept the eyes,” Eggsy said. He looked at Sean and the colours were swirling just a bit. “Can’t invent form that doesn’t do that?”

“Tried, but the whole eyes are windows to the soul thing.” Sean leaned back against the bench. “But the Boss, could wear the human skin for a thousand years and he’d still feel just off. But he feels plenty. And one of the things he is feeling right now is worry for his friend. He also figured he would not be welcome. So me! Hello.”

“Hi,” Eggsy said. “Fuck, I need grease. You want to learn how to eat?”

“That sounds like fun,” Sean agreed.

They went to a rubbish chip shop and Sean stared at the food in horror. “Wait, this is actually edible? Did I invent this?”

Eggsy snorted. “Nah, see God was right, we’d come up with some stuff on our own. Trust me.” He jabbed his fork in and jammed his mouth full, which was a mistake with how hot the chips were. “Bet you invented too hot food,” he said as he tried to suck in air to cool his mouth.

“No, the just a touch too cold right at the centre where you are like I don’t care for this but I am far too lazy to get up and reheat it for the extra two minutes. Sloth is my favourite. I’ve done great inventions for sloth. Including the animal the sloth!.” He ate a chip. “Huh, okay, yeah.” He started to work his way through his box. “So inventing a solution for your sad. How do we go about that?”

“You can’t invent away relationship problems,” Eggsy said quietly.

“I can invent anything.” Sean sat at the small table, which was also a touch greasy. “What happened?”

“He’s a demon,” Eggsy said.

“You’ve known that for years. Did you hit your head and forget? I can definitely give you back your memories. Human minds are really easy to muck about in.”

“That there is the problem. He had mentioned it once, and I forgot, or didn’t pay attention,” Eggsy pushed the last of the food away, it was sitting too heavy. Or perhaps that was just his heart. “We were watching something, fuck I can’t even remember what, and it had some mind control, altering memories shit, and he giggled and said that isn’t how you do that. And I asked him what he meant.” Eggsy started to jab the cheap plastic fork against his hand a bit. “Because I know not to ask about what he does with knives or devices you make, but I asked about this.”

“Playing with people’s minds, memories is actually his best work,” Sean said. “It is a thing of beauty what he gives people and then takes away. Breaks them more than any flaying ever does.”

“Yeah,” Eggsy nodded. “About what he said. Because he can’t lie. He told me the truth. And I remembered, that he is proper evil. A fucking demon, not the way we joke, not the way I let things go. Think it is cute. He plays jump rope with people’s hearts and souls, and sees nothing wrong with it.”

“Why would he? It’s his job.”

“Yeah,” Eggsy nodded. “And I asked, I asked if what I felt for him was real, or a thing he put in my mind to stay above.”

“If he was a human, wouldn’t asking a question like that fuck up a relationship?”

“Trust me, fucks it up with a demon as well.”

“What happened?” Sean frowned. “Oh I want more,” he said as he reached the bottom of his box and Eggsy nudged his over. 

“He shed his human skin, and said, no because if I was going to put something in your mind it would be this. And he touched my forehead, and I saw a whole different timeline. Where I never found out Harry was a demon, where Merlin had gone back home immediately, me never seeing his human form, but us one day meeting because he had been fascinated. I lived my whole goddamn life never knowing everything I know now, and when I died I went to whatever the fuck heaven is.”

“Heaven is boring, so much happiness,” Sean shuddered. “It’s bullshit you know. For humans, because you lot hate perfection.”

“Not the point right now, oh great and wondrous therapy demon.”

“We do actually have a couple of those, you know. But I am very much not one of them. Inventor. Created apathy. Now that was my best work. That or the fact that batteries never go in the same way across machines.”

“Really hate you for that battery one,” Eggsy said. “He showed me a life where everything was simple and lovely. And I wanted it.”

“No, you didn’t. That is what you are mad about most of all, that you saw perfection, saw the easy way, and saw it was rubbish.”

Eggsy lay his head down on the disgusting table. “Maybe. But it also reminded me, that he just doesn’t see the world the way I do. Of who he truly is.”

“Whom.”

“Who.”

“Whom. I invented that argument which who is whom and all that,” Sean finished Eggsy’s chips. “Right, I can fix this.”

“Oh yeah, with what invention?”

“Come demon tool - the truth.” Sean looked around, “Should I get more chips?”

“No, your stomach already going to feel like rubbish as it is,” Eggsy said. “And honestly, right now, bit sick of demon truth to be honest.”

“Okay, be back in either a minute or an hour, not sure how time handles popping back home and coming back.”

After ten minutes, Eggsy got up and decided to walk around a bit. He checked his phone occasionally, but Merlin hadn’t sent a single text or left a voice mail. He wondered if Merlin was even still around. He wasn’t paying attention at all to where he walked, but when he looked up, he found himself in front of a church. Front door was even open and he decided to go in. He sat in a pew and looked around. Last time he had been in one was about four years ago when Jamal’s sis got married. He looked at Jesus on the cross, always found it a bit creepy, if he were honest. He sighed. “Fuck.”

“Hello, Eggsy,” a voice said next to him.

Eggsy turned and looked. “Huh. Angels really don’t wear the human form as well as demons. Interesting.”

“It is not for us to take the visage of God’s best creation.”

“Sure. Eyes are different too. Their’s swirl, yours have some Twilight sparkle shit going on.”

“Heaven’s splendor is hard to contain.”

Eggsy had to laugh, “Damn, you really do talk like you have a stick lodged firmly up your ass.”

“God, sees you, and loves you Eggsy. A love you can’t fathom. God sent me to tell you, here is where you make a choice which path you walk.” The angel smiled at him, and it was a kind and loving smile; Eggsy felt warm. “This is your chance to renounce Satan.”

“I have never even ounced Nick, he’s like the weird cousin who comes to holidays,” Eggsy frowned. “When did I ever ounce Satan?”

“Why are you discussing a unit of measurement when your soul is at stake?”

“It were a joke renounce, ounce? Never mind.” Eggsy looked at the angel. “God loves me?”

“So very much, and has great plans for you. If you just walk away from all the temptation pulling your soul down.”

Eggsy thought about it. Thought about everything he knew. “You seem really earnest. Tell me something, could you ever put anyone before God?”

“No that is the greatest sin of all.” Poor angel sounded horrified.

“Yeah, that scans. Been reading the Bible more, that whole love God with your whole heart thing. What do you think of Miniel and Kushiel. Did you know them?”

“Cowards, too scared of the love of God. Too scared of selfless love.”

“No,” Eggsy nodded. He knew what he wanted. “Because then they would have fell.”

“They are fallen.”

“They jumped. Because they loved each other. They loved each other so much they jumped for that love.”

“If they love so, where do you fit in?”

“Right where I want to be. He’s gonna hurt me, he’ll always say the wrong thing, because he doesn’t have a soul or heart like me. I get it. But what he has, he shares endlessly, joyfully. So you know what? Fuck God’s plan. I choose them always. Guess I’m jumping too.” Eggsy stood up. “Thanks, yeah?”

“You curse yourself to damnation, they will feast on your soul.”

“Nah, Merlin mostly just wants to feast on my dick.” Probably shouldn’t have said that to an angel. “They just want to be, look at my soul, choir boy, you see damnation written on it?”

“You’ll love, and you’ll fall to be with him. And you’ll regret it.”

“Not fall. Jump. Have fun with the halo.” Eggsy left the church, and when he went to close the door behind him, he realized it was an abandoned building. There wasn’t even a front door. “Sean?” he called out.

“Now how was that for an invention?” Sean clapped his hands. “Eh, eh? That stained glass was epic.”

“Didn’t notice to be honest,” Eggsy looked at him. “Angel was impressive.”

“Been so long since I was one, memory bit faded, prejudiced. But I think I had that noble cluelessness down well. Also, a prat? That’s a word right?”

“It is.” Eggsy looked at the building. “So what exactly did you invent?”

“Just put the questions you were dealing with into a realistic form so that you could make the choice that felt right. An angel skinner box. No…not quite. Mirror verse? No. Well, just made you see your options. Oh! Choose your own adventure. Made those you know. That is definitely our work.”

“Those books made me miserable as a kid, totally cheated and looked to get the best possible end.”

“Exactly, only 1 in 10 kids doesn’t do that. Now then. Did I help?”

“You did, thank you, Sean. What now for you?”

“I am going home, human skin starting to itch. Hoping the Boss really doesn’t do this to me too often. Humans smell so yucky. Much prefer my office and tool box. Schematics.”

“Merlin’s a demon.”

“He is.” Sean looked at him. “But you love him anyways. Love? That is something I didn’t invent.”

“From God huh?”

“No, not the love you are talking about. That? That can only be invented by people every damn day. Rather impressive when you think about it.” Sean nodded and walked away.

Eggsy headed home, and walked into the house. He saw Merlin on the couch, staring at nothing, JB leaning against him, and Merlin was hugging Eggsy’s track jacket, the one Merlin hated but Eggsy loved. “Hi,” Eggsy said softly. He went and sat next to Merlin.

“Okay,” Eggsy said softly. “This is me jumping.” He took Merlin’s hand and brought it to his lips.

He invented his love for Merlin all over again, just as he would every single day.


End file.
